Chapter 78

The scene shifts once again to the capital of Vestaha.

The banquet hall, which was once lively, now buzzed with chaos.
It was understandable, considering that the nation’s highest mountain had been turned into scorched earth in an instant.

「Just what happened…?」

No one could respond to the pale king’s inquiry.
In the silence enveloping the banquet hall, the vice president of the Nuralis Trading Company spoke up.

「It must be a natural disaster, like a meteorite or something. Anyway, it’s best to quietly await the report from the knights.」

At that moment, the door to the venue opened.
Drawing all eyes upon his entrance was a burly middle-aged man.

Clad in silver armor, the man, with the air of a Western warrior, strode straight toward the king.

「Oh, Sir Linkarl, Commander of the Knights! We’ve been waiting! Report… quickly, report!」

The knight commander kneeled and bowed his head to the king.

「As we were heading to investigate the mountain, we encountered two formidable individuals.」

「What? Formidable individuals? Do you mean to say that the scorched mountain was deliberately caused by someone?」

「Exactly so, Your Majesty.」

The king fell silent for a moment, then queried the knight commander further.

「And what did you do when you encountered these formidable individuals?」

「We engaged in combat.」

「Combat, I see. We’ll inquire about the identity of the opponents later. But how did it turn out?」

「Fortunately, Your Majesty, there were no casualties among the five hundred knights under my command.」

「Oh, so our royal guard suffered no losses?」

However, the knight commander’s expression turned solemn.

「While there were no fatalities…」

「Yes?」

With tears streaming down his face, the knight commander continued his report to the king.

「Four hundred and ninety-nine with fractures in their left arms. Four hundred and ninety-nine with fractures in their right arms. Four hundred and ninety-nine with ruptured Achilles tendons in their right legs. Four hundred and ninety-nine with ruptured Achilles tendons in their left legs. Since all the injuries are clean fractures or ruptures… the only consolation is that they can all return to the front lines within six months.」

「…」

「…」

For a moment, the two fell silent.
The king’s mouth moved repeatedly, as if in a panic.

Then, the king clapped his hands and nodded.

「I see, I see.」

「I see… What do you see?」

「Sir Linkarl, Commander of the Knights! I thought you were a stern man, but you’ve really outdone yourself, haven’t you?」

「…?」

The king poked the perplexed knight commander’s shoulder with his finger.

「I never thought you’d have a sense of humor. Well, well, perhaps we should arrange a private gathering over drinks sometime? Truth be told, I found your seriousness somewhat off-putting. I preferred to keep private matters separate… but if that’s the case, then it’s a different story. Let’s discuss the future of our country together.」

The knight commander put on a solemn expression and shook his head.

「Your Majesty?」

「Yes?」

「…I merely reported the facts as they were.」

Upon hearing this, the king began to laugh heartily.

「Haha! Who in their right mind would use joint locks on a battlefield? I could understand resorting to bare-handed combat after dropping one’s weapon in a brawl, but if everyone was taken down with joint locks… that means they deliberately attacked with joint locks, doesn’t it?」

「Yes. They intentionally attacked us with joint locks.」

The king visibly frowned.

「Taking jokes too far can be harmful. I’d like to hear an accurate report soon, if you don’t mind.」

The knight commander sighed deeply and retrieved a crystal ball from his pocket.

「Actions speak louder than words. This crystal ball contains memories of the battle, recorded using image memorization spells. The results of the recent combat are preserved here.」

Taking the crystal ball offered by the knight commander, the king sighed wearily.

「Enough with the jokes…」

The king focused his thoughts on the crystal ball.
And there, the crystal ball displayed scenes from the battlefield thirty minutes prior.

It showed…

…Pink-haired male-looking individuals of age surpassing a millennium, dragging burly men to the ground, where their limbs were systematically locked in joint maneuvers.
For every limb, five individuals were used, resulting in five hundred knights, combined with two thousand male-looking individuals, creating a total of five hundred joint lock formations.

Then, the apparent commander of the male-looking individuals, the same hyperactive pink-haired elder, shouted loudly.

「Now, all of you! Show them what you’ve got! Any knight who dares to resist is a damn fool! And those who show surrendering intentions are the well-trained knights who might bite back at any moment! Show them no mercy! Haha! Truly, the art of Senjutsu is the path of carnage!」

Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack!

Snap, crackle, pop, snap, crackle, pop, snap, crackle, pop!

The sound of the limbs of the four hundred and ninety-nine knights, excluding the knight commander, being destroyed reverberated throughout the surroundings.

Then, while observing the entire scene recorded by the crystal ball, the king yelled,

「Wha… wha… what in the world is this!?」

Again, with a solemn expression, the knight commander said,

「In other words, the knight order has been annihilated. Everyone is alive, yet it’s annihilated. This is far worse than everyone being dead. They’re all alive, perfectly neutralized without even leaving any aftereffects. There’s no greater humiliation than this.」

「Humiliation? What do you mean?」

「Our kingdom’s knights aren’t even recognized as enemies from the start. They aren’t even acknowledged as a threat. This is the level of disrespect we’re dealing with.」

Stunned by the tearful report from the knight commander, the king stood frozen in disbelief for a moment.
Then, the king noticed two figures standing behind the knight commander, assuming a defensive stance.

A pink-haired girl with a ponytail and a blonde twin-tailed little girl.
Needless to say, they were Ryuumi and Merlin.

「Knight commander?」

「What is it, Your Majesty?」

「Who are these two?」

With a resigned expression, the knight commander sighed deeply on the spot.

「The one with peach-colored hair caused the annihilation of our knights, and the one with blonde hair turned the mountain into a bald hill.」

「Huh…?」

「Uh… even if you ask…」

「Knight commander, did you… bring the enemies here?」

「Yes, I escorted these two here.」

「Escorted…?」

With a grave expression that seemed to have been repeated several times today, the knight commander spoke up.

「I am a defeated general. No, I am a general of a defeated nation. Your Majesty… please forgive me. I couldn’t choose an honorable self-termination.」

「Huh? What do you mean?」

「Your Majesty…? I don’t recommend futile resistance. Farewell…」

Slowly rising, the knight commander bowed deeply to Ryuumi and Merlin, then retreated to the corner of the room.

Then the two advanced towards the king.

「Who the hell are you…? Your names… what are they?」

Staring at the bewildered king, Ryuumi clicked his tongue.

「That aside, you guys…」

「’You guys’? I am the king, and you called me with ‘You guys’? Are you… sane?」

「Sane? I am perfectly sane. And you? Addressing me without even introducing yourselves… what kind of audacity is that?」

「Huh? But… I’m… the king…」

「First of all, who are you even talking to? You’ve got one fundamental thing wrong.」

「Huh?」

Smoothly, Ryuumi raised his right foot high—high enough to aim at the king’s forehead.

「Let me get this straight? What I’m saying is…」

With the aim of his right heel fixed on the king’s forehead…

「You’re too tall-headed, you scoundrel!」

With a swooshing sound, Ryuumi’s heel forcefully collided with the king’s forehead.
It seemed he applied just enough force to avoid causing death, but it was still quite a blow.

After the explosion of the heel drop, the king fell neatly backward in an arc.
Then Ryuumi snapped his fingers, and two duplicates appeared on the spot.

「Now, let’s do the usual!」

Treating the king’s upper body as if it were an object, Ryuumi’s duplicate pulled it up from the ground.
Forced into a crawling position, then made to sit on his knees.

Finally, Ryuumi’s duplicate grabbed the king’s head and pressed his forehead against the floor.

「Sorry about this. But I’ve decided I’ll only speak to scoundrels in this state.」

In other words—it was a kowtow.

「Ah, we haven’t properly introduced ourselves yet. I’m Ryuumi.」

「I’m Merlin.」

With those words, the king began to tremble and shouted to everyone around him.

「Are you… are you all idiots? Why… Why are the two of them here? E-Everyone—kneel and bow your heads!」

In what was previously a scene of revelry, all the nobles and aristocrats began to bow their heads.

「Good. It seems everyone finally understands the situation.」

With Ryuumi and Merlin nodding in satisfaction, the king muttered with a trembling voice.

「However… Ryuumi-sama? I have a question.」

「Hmm? What is it?」

「You’re called the strongest among humans… But are you in your right mind?」

「I’m not particularly the strongest, you know. But what are you trying to say?」

「Even if this is a small country… You’ve initiated a war, haven’t you?」

「I don’t like calling it a war.」

「…Yes?」

「Well, I might have started a brawl, but so what?」

「This isn’t just a matter for our country… You’ve picked a fight with the entire system of nations. It’s not just a problem for a borderland nation… You could become an enemy of the world. You’d be up against the collective force of nations… the World Union. Are you prepared for that?」

「Ah, that could be troublesome, even for me. At most, I can handle three or four major powers alone.」

「Why would someone like you, who has always maintained neutrality towards nations and power, do this?」

「I don’t want to be involved in constant bloodshed with the world. So, I declared neutrality. I won’t interfere with you all, but you won’t interfere with me.」

「That’s true, but…」

The king continued with a trembling voice.

「Are you planning to start a war with the collective force of nations, the World Union? Beings like you should only exist in myths and fairy tales. Even for nobles and aristocrats, information is restricted… You are a forbidden existence. Even appearing in public is a problem…」

Ryuumi laughed.

「What are you talking about? You’ve got it all wrong from the start.」

「…Wrong?」

Ryuumi clapped his hands.

「Oops, looks like the handsome guys are finally making an appearance, huh?」

「…Handsome men?」

Ah, Ryuumi nodded and pointed outside the window.

「It seems like overkill, but it looks like the monsters have arrived in a group, doesn’t it?」

The king, looking out the window, was speechless.

Well, it wasn’t unreasonable.
After all, before his eyes, six great dragons—Red Dragon, Blue Dragon, Yellow Dragon, Green Dragon, Silver Dragon, and Gold Dragon—soared gracefully through the sky.

「Red Dragon… Blue Dragon… Yellow Dragon… Green Dragon… Silver Dragon… Gold Dragon… and all of them are legendary ancient dragon species…」

「And there, in addition to them, is the Divine Dragon Emperor who leads the six dragon tribes, making a total of seven Great Dragon Elders. Ranging from S-rank to SS-rank, with the Divine Dragon Emperor being a super SSS-rank force. Needless to say, they are all baring their fangs against this country.」

「Furthermore… overlaid with the likes of you two, Ryuumi and Merlin, who are considered SSS-rank forces despite being human. Combined, they surpass even great disasters. Do you intend to start the final war against humanity?」

「That’s why we don’t intend to become enemies of the world. The group with the greatest power in the Dragon’s Den there shouldn’t intend to either, right? After all, the dragon clan also maintains non-interference with humans.」

「…?」

Then Merlin, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

「Well, Ryuumi and I are really oblivious to power dynamics. And the reason he arrived late is also specific to the discussions about this use of force.」

「The reason?」

「Of course… We were delayed due to various discussions about this use of force. The Divine Dragon Emperor, no, it’s easier to say this way… the Dragon King.」

With that, the door swung wide open, and a man in the attire of Shinjuku Kabukicho’s sense… a host appeared.

「Oh, oh, did you two ladies arrive first? It seems like I’m the latest one.」

「Haha! You were the fastest, weren’t you? You’re still the same, acting clueless.」

The king’s complexion lost its color, turning pale.

He slumped weakly.

「The Divine Dragon Emperor, who commands the mighty dragon clan, Merlin and Ryuumi… I see.」

Merlin tilted his head at those words.

「What’s the matter?」

Trembling with fear, the king spoke.

「You truly intend to start a big fight against the world, don’t you? If you three were to persuade… especially if the Divine Dragon Emperor were to persuade the nations under its umbrella, many would join. Thank you for being so forthright. It’s safe to assume that alliances have been made in secret.」

At that moment, the three exchanged glances, wearing somewhat mischievous expressions.

「Hey, you?」

「What is it… Divine Dragon Emperor?」

「Merlin, being single, is one thing, but Ryuumi has quite a few disciples, and as for me, I’m a king, you know?」

「Yes, I’m aware, but…?」

「What’s the point of starting a war? It puts everyone involved in danger, doesn’t it?」

The king then wore an incredulous expression.

「But, currently… you are indeed using force against our country, aren’t you?」

「Ah, yes, that’s right.」

「We can’t handle you in our country. And if our country falls… you will be recognized as enemies of the world.」

At that, the three began to laugh heartily.

「Your perception there is quite naive. Granted, we did conduct a demonstration in your country, and there were injuries, but not a single person died. It falls well within the bounds of legitimate retaliatory action.」

「Legitimate retaliation? What are you talking about? We did nothing to you, yet you injured 499 of our knights, engulfed our country’s sacred mountain in flames, and caused panic throughout the entire nation with the sudden appearance of ancient dragon species.」

「Hey, what do you mean by ‘we did nothing’? What kind of perspective is that?」

「Yes, I did nothing. It’s inconceivable for any foolish king to provoke ultimate taboo entities like you.」

「Are you perhaps… denying it? Denying that you provoked a fight?」

「In fact, we are.」

「And whom did you provoke?」

Before Ryuumi could say anything, the Dragon King sighed and spoke.

「Anyway, the World Union intends to maintain silence on this matter.」

With those words, the king made a startled expression.

「So our country is just going to be left to fend for itself…?」

「We’re serious. Or, worst-case scenario, we’re here because we might indeed become enemies of the world.」

The Dragon King shrugged.

「I conveyed that message to the esteemed leader of the World Union, who is also my friend, the Divine Emperor of Jibruheim.」

「And then?」

「The response was to turn a blind eye, just for this time. Basically, it’s a calculation that sacrificing a borderland country like yours is preferable to needlessly provoking neutral and harmless entities like us and inciting a world war.」

「Does that mean… a whole country is being abandoned?」

The Dragon King chuckled brightly.

「As the leader of the dragon race… personally, and individually, as Merlin, Ryuumi, and myself, our individual powers of persuasion should suffice to make such whims clear to the appropriate parties, right?」

「That’s… absurd!」

「No, it’s not absurd. That’s just how we are. Overwhelming individuals mean just that.」

The king understood the meaning behind the Dragon King’s words and, with his own will, pressed his forehead against the ground.

「Our country declares surrender to the three of you. We offer our country, so please be generous in your treatment…」

「We don’t need your country. If that’s what you want, then the three of us have already picked a fight with the world a long time ago.」

Merlin shrugged.

「We can finally get to the point, huh? We didn’t come here to pick a fight. We just came to make a request, you know?」

The Dragon King chuckled softly.

「It seems the intimidation went a bit too far. Right, King? As Merlin said, we did come to make a request. But it’s true that if you refuse, we’ll crush you.」

「A request…?」

The Dragon King whispered something to the king.

「Well, it’s just a little favor we’re asking…」

Upon hearing those words, the king’s eyes widened, and he half-shouted, almost in dismay.

「What… is that all… the request is!?」

NEXT CHAPTER

02d 06:45:06

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